Next in our Red Flag series is constipation. The first things I wish I had known about constipation when my son Connor had it are that it is not “normal” and that meds like Miralax are not the answer. My son, starting at four months, had the worst constipation. I know many moms can relate. At times he was screaming, bleeding and just miserable. I will never forget going to his pediatrician in North Carolina at my wits’ end, only to be told “this happens,” “it’s normal,” and “put a little dark Karo syrup in his bottle.” I now know, after recovering him from severe non-verbal “autism,” that this advice was wrong and, in conjunction with each round of vaccines and GMO infant formula, the constipation marked the beginning of damage to his gastrointestinal system. If you’re child is suffering from constipation like mine did, I’m going to give you some advice today, so you don’t make the same decisions I made.
First, some information on Miralax and why it’s hugely detrimental for anyone, especially a child:
“Back in December of 2011, the FDA placed MiraLAX — a polyethylene glycol-containing blockbuster drug marketed by Merck & Co — on its Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) in connection to “neuropsychiatric events.”
Polyethylene glycol is made by stringing together molecules of ethylene glycol into a large polymer chain, hence the prefix poly-, Greek for many. On its own, ethylene glycol is used in automotive antifreeze and brake fluid. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, it is an extremely toxic substance:
“Ethylene glycol is chemically broken down in the body into toxic compounds. It and its toxic byproducts first affect the central nervous system (CNS), then the heart, and finally the kidneys. Ingestion of sufficient amounts [as little as 30 ml — KM] can be fatal.”
The term “neuropsychiatric events” in the FDA’s safety alert refers to neurologic disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems such as autism, dementia, depression, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and similar others [3]. These conditions result from PEG’s direct (through cellular damage) and indirect (through malnutrition of essential micronutrients) neurotoxicity. No surprise there considering the quotation above.
This is for everyone, not just children with autism. I have parents contact me daily with constipation woes, and just about every one of them tells me Miralax is prescribed. This is unacceptable.
Below are some tips — broken up into two sections, the first for infants and the second for toddlers and older children — designed to help heal your child’s gut, rather than just mask the symptoms, that I wish I had known when Connor was experiencing this.
Infants:
1. I always tell moms breastfeeding is best. If breastfeeding, strive to eat a whole-foods diet, free of processed foods. Breastfeeding moms should also be taking a good probiotic. There are many good brands on the market, including Culturelle and SeekingHealth, which has an array of probiotics to choose from. The Dr. Sears website gives excellent suggestions on an allergy elimination diet to see just what exactly could be bothering your baby. Dairy and gluten are common irritants.
2. If you must formula feed, please stay away from commercial GMO formulas that will just destroy a baby’s fragile GI tract. Look into breast milk donors, the Weston Price homemade formula recipe, or an organic non-dairy formula such as Baby’s Only Lactorelief brand. Food Babe has a great article explaining Organic Formulas, so you can make a good educated decision. Also, giving the baby a good infant probiotic in the bottle will help maintain healthy GI function. SeekingHealth Infant Probiotic and GutPro are great choices.
3. Another great option that moms don’t usually hear about is upper cervical chiropractic care for infants. The Healthy Home Economist gives great information regarding this in her blog. Here’s how to search for a certified pediatric chiropractor.
4. Oftentimes, gas and discomfort come with the constipation. Warm Epsom salt baths, baby massage, and homeopathic gas drops are extremely helpful for painful gas. Boiron is my favorite brand for homeopathic drops.
Toddlers and Older Children:
1. I feel one of the best steps for constipation in toddlers and older children is diet modification and probiotics. I also recommend getting them proper food allergy and sensitivity testing through providers such as Great Plains Laboratory. They offer testing that includes everything from food sensitivity and candida. Look into diets such as Paleo for kids, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet. Another great option is using the book Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon as a guide for both infants and older children.
2. There are so many amazing probiotics and supplements to help with an older child’s constipation. A few brands I like are GutPro, Custom Probiotics, and Culturelle Kids. Given twice a day, once in the AM and PM, a good probiotic will do wonders. Another really easy tasteless product you can try is George’s Aloe Vera. You can give it daily. And one last thing that can really help is a good digestive enzyme before each meal. Klaire Labs makes an excellent chewable version. Other good brands include Houston and Enzymedica. You can find lots more practical information on the use of digestive enzymes in the book Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Conditions, by Karen DeFelice.
3. As stated above, upper cervical chiropractic care is extremely beneficial to a child’s overall health and well being, especially with regard to constipation.
I could go on and on about how to get and keep your gut healthy. People often do not realize that our stomach and digestive tract is our “Second Brain,” so to speak. Dr. Albert Snow, a holistic gastroenterologist, has an excellent blog and resources about just that. An unhealthy digestive system can cause everything from disruption of sleep to speech apraxia in children (editor’s note: it caused both in my son).
The overall point is that chronic constipation is NOT normal, despite what we are being told by the mainstream medical community, as they dole out lifelong doses of Miralax to our infants and children, exacerbating existing gastrointestinal issues and possibly causing long-term damage to their brains, hearts and kidneys, as well. I hope the resources and product information below, coupled with the links I gave above, can get you on the path to overall better digestive health for your children.
Only forward from here,
~ Spartan
Additional Resources:
Talk About Curing Autism’s (TACA) Poop Page
ADHD and Gut Health, by Dr. David Perlmutter
Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet, by Elaine Gottschall
Gut and Psychology Syndrome, by Natasha Campbell-McBride
For more by Spartan, click here.
Great article with awesome suggestions. If I could add one more suggestion, look into hot castor oil packs and massage therapy for the abdomen.
http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/holistic_health/data/thcast1.html
Reading some of Dr. Cayce’s work is worthwhile. He refers to the gut as the second brain , good gut health leads to a healthy body.
http://www.kidsloveacupuncture.com/2013/01/29/pediatric-tuina-massage-for-constipation/
And there are some videos on youtube….Dr.Jo Adamson at the Cayce foundation told me “if you know how to give the massage you will not have any issues with constipation”.
Look into the groups on Facebook(parents against Miralax) and Yahoo(miralax).
If you feel like you have experienced an adverse event due to complications with miralax please report it to the FDA;http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/
I remember reading some of Cayce’s readings over the years and wondering why he seemed so focused on “eliminations.” *sigh* Wish I’d known then what I know now…
Has anyone ever used diatomaceous earth for themselves and/or kiddos?
It’s good for parasite cleanses, but I would exercise caution. Bulking agents like DE and psyllium can actually cause or worsen constipation. My son has to be on a moderate fiber diet because too much will constipate him, and we reserve the high fiber fruits and veggies for juicing so that he gets the nutrients without the bulk. I can’t use DE for him, but my daughter and I do ok with it.
Thank you for good article! I often face such issue as constipation and it usually changes my plans. But after I’ve found article about constipation home remedies fast my life changed
After suffering for most of my life with IBS which just got worse and worse I went to a naturopath (no gastro doctor helped me) and she told me to buy and read Elaine Gottshall’s book Breaking the Vicious Cycle. I read it and changed my diet according to the book’s directions and have been so much better. This diet actually heals the inflammation caused by certain foods we eat. However, to maintain a healthy gut you have to make this a lifestyle change for the rest of your life. Occasionally I treat myself, but make sure I am right back on the diet the next day. It’s truly been worth it to me.
Hi Ginger - I just wanted to second ProfesserTMR’s comment that it sounds like a really good case for homeopathy - I hope your LO gets relief soon.
Excellent article. FaceBook Site “Parents against Miralax” and [email protected] site…safe alternatives explored with lively discussion of dangers with Miralax and continued “Willful Blindness” from the expansive medical community.
Spartan, have you had an appointment with Dr. Snow? My son is severely autistic and nonverbal and your post gives me hope. I have tried it all and I know that my son’s gut is the gateway to all of his problems. I would love to know if it is worth scheduling an appointment with him. Would love to know your thoughts.
Thank you so much for this! I was literally just about to call our pediatrician about my daughter’s constipation and Encopresis. She is 3.5 and has never been vaccinated and was exclusively breastfed until almost one and still breastfeeds. She has eaten Paleo her entire life yet she still suffers from constipation caused by withholding which started around two. I have been trying everything-she is adjusted weekly, takes probiotics, drinks prune and aloe juice, etc., but I will work with the specific suggestions you have provided and continue to try to solve this without Miralax. I knew I didn’t want to give her that, she’s never had any antibiotics or prescription medication in her life, but reading similar stories online Miralax seems to be the only solution.
Thank you so much for writing this!!
Ginger, sounds like you should have a good basis for reasonably quick healing. A few things to consider:
Some GMOs are designed to kill the bugs that eat them by bursting their guts. There is a good deal of buzz around the idea that they may be doing something similar to people. Organic may be very important for your kiddo.
Magnesium can help to soften the stools. Many people are deficient in magnesium, especially if they eat a lot of dairy. Probably not the case for your daughter if she eats paleo, but thought I’d throw it out there. Have you tried epsom salts baths? That’s a good way of getting magnesium in easily and can give you an idea whether it will make a difference.
Third thing is that a good homeopath might be able to help resolve things.
And the last thing is that it is possible that she is not FEELING the cues that her body is giving her. Check out the work of Anat Baniel and Svetlana Masgutova with respect to development of the nervous system. If, for some reason, she got off track due to some kind of trauma early on, it’s possible that her sensory nerves in that area are not sending signals that are being interpreted properly in her brain.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful response! I did do Epsom salt baths for a while but we stopped, I’ll start that again and look at seeing a homeopath.
It’s definitely partially psychological as she had a bad bout of constipation once which caused pain and started the whole withholding, which is a vicious cycle as it causes more constipation. Anyway, thank you so much for the good advice. I knew in my gut (ha!) that Miralax was not the answer but I was not sure what else to do.